Number XIII
by Golden Weaver
Summary: [AU] In a world where Saya left before Creed killed her, Train remained the Chronos’ Black Cat, and Creed eventually left Chronos to form the Messengers of the Stars. Soon, these three would meet, clash, and change the world…
1. She Left, He Stayed

**Title:**Number XIII  
**Author: **Golden Weaver  
**Pairings:** None  
**Warnings:** Violence… etc. etc. the good stuff…  
**Disclaimer:** I hereby lay no claims upon any original Black Cat characters/plots.

**Summary: **AU In a world where Saya left before Creed killed her, Train remained the Chronos' Black Cat and Creed left Chronos to form the Messengers of the Stars. Soon, the three would meet, clash, and change the world…

* * *

**Chapter One: She Left, He Stayed**

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* * *

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In the end, all he had ever wanted… was _freedom_.

Pure and unworldly darkness surrounded him on all sides, unrelentingly seeping into every part of him. In this tiny dungeon cell, there was no light.

Train Heartnet couldn't remember when he had last seen the light of day. Was it four days ago? Or six? He _couldn't _tell. Days and nights have rolled into one. How long would it be until the ten days are up?

How long before he could see Saya again?

* * *

She was running _late. Again_. Minatsuki Saya sighed. And she had _promised_ Train that she would take him out to dinner… or was it the other way around? But nevertheless, she was going to be _late_!

For the last few weeks, she has been helping a detective named Sven. The target was a mass murderer named Gyanza – the amount of bounty offered was enough for her to live off for half a year.

And now, she's _late_ for that dinner she promised to Train. Still, he would understand, _right_? Work is important, and she would make it up to him later… He _would _understand, _right_?

So she stayed a bit longer.

* * *

He stayed in the dark for a long time.

He wasn't sure how long had passed – but he realized that it must have been ten days – before the he heard a _click._ The doors of the tiny cell opened, and bright light flooded into his eyes. Train blinked several times, and resisted the temptation to let out a sigh of relief.

There was a figure at the doorway, a feminine figure. It took Train two seconds to figure out that this was Sephiria Axe, Number I, his _boss._

"You can come out, Heartnet." She said.

He cracked a grin, and just couldn't resist the temptation to joke. "…What? You're letting me out so soon?" He said. "I was just starting to like this place, too."

Sephiria threw him a short glare, and beckoned him out. When he was standing before her, she handed him his black cloak. He pulled it on.

"You do realize that…" she started, paused, before continuing. "That you actions from now on would be closely guarded?"

He nodded. Sephiria started to strode towards the elevator. Train fell into steps behind her. "From now on," she said, "you'll be under my watch and jurisdiction. The same goes for that gun, Hades."

He nodded again.

She led him up the elevator, out of the dungeons, and shooed him out, once more, into the light of the afternoon.

_Freedom._

_

* * *

_

He wasn't there when she arrived home, with enough bounty to last her half a year. That was six days ago.

He wasn't there when she had got another call for another job. A short one, this time – short, but fun. That was four days ago.

He wasn't there when she had returned from her second job. She had picked the lock of his door, and his apartment looked old, abandoned, unwanted. From the looks of that apartment, she thought that he had left. That was three days ago.

He wasn't there when Sven came one day, and told her that he had decided to quit his detective job to become a sweeper, and would like her help. She liked Sven – like him and the way he compliments her style, and seriously considered his proposal. That was two days ago.

And he still wasn't there when she said yes to Sven's request, finally deciding that Train had truly already left or something, and wasn't going to come back. She was hurt when she made that deduction, and felt betrayed, but she made it, anyways. That was yesterday.

Now, she was napping in a train, dressed in her yukata, with Sven, her new partner, in the seat opposing her.

And he still wasn't there.

Minatsuki Saya has waited long enough. It was time for her to resume her life of a stray, wandering cat.

* * *

He felt naked without Hades. Really, he did. But Sephiria had kept his gun for safekeeping, and Train couldn't very well refuse. And thus now he stood before Saya's door, feeling naked and self-conscious.

He raised his hands, hesitated, before gritting his teeth and doing it anyways. He knocked, hard.

But the door did not open.

In fact, Train decided, the whole place was strangely silent. Saya never used to be _this _silent, even if she was trying to be silent! Was something wrong?

He knocked on the door once again.

A head popped out from the door behind him. Train span around, only to face a half-drunk man with a potbelly, holding a bottle of beer. "Quiet down, will ya?" snapped that man, half-slurring, obviously annoyed. "Some o' us need silence. An' tha' bitch left a long time ago."

Train's blood froze. Froze upon hearing someone call Saya a bitch, froze upon hearing that brash uncultured voice. Froze upon hearing the fact that she had left –

And he offered a curt nod to that man, and stalked into his room with all the feline grace in the world.

_Damn._

He needed to break something, and relieve this feeling of being abandoned, and being betrayed.

* * *

And up, up, and high above, a man named Creed Diskence was smiling a satisfied, satisfied smile. So… the little witch was gone on her own accord. And the Black Cat was coming back…

* * *

_**TO BE CONTINUED... **_


	2. Coincidence Waiting

**Title:**Number XIII  
**Author: **Golden Weaver  
**Pairings:** None  
**Warnings:** Violence… etc. etc. the good stuff…  
**Disclaimer:** I hereby lay no claims upon any original Black Cat characters/plots.

**Summary: **AU In a world where Saya left before Creed killed her, Train remained the Chronos' Black Cat and Creed left Chronos to form the Messengers of the Stars. Soon, the three would meet, clash, and change the world…

**To ALL my reviewers: **Thank you all for the encouraging words! You guys are awesome! - Here's the next installment of the fic! I'm a slow updater… so sorry. >. " I'll try to be faster next time. XD

**PS. Some charrys might be a little OOC here... **

**Chapter Two: Coincidence Waiting**

_Three Years Later…  
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"You target is… Torneo Rudman," Sephiria stated. She reached down into the drawer of the desk, and selected one particularly huge file. "He is suspected to be collaborating with Creed Diskence." A pause. No visible reaction on either face of the men opposite her. She handed the file to XIII, Train. "His personal information is all here. Read it over. Bleze – " she nodded at the older man, standing impassively beside Train – "will accompany you as your supervisor. Do you understand."

Train nodded, his face an expressionless mask, his thump fingering the course white of the thick paper file.

"Good." Sephiria concluded. "You are dismissed. Bleze, stay."

With that, the youngest of the three pushed back his chair, stood, and strode out of the elaborately decorated, yet somehow cold and uninviting study, leaving I and II still seated behind.

Sephiria sighed. And leaned back into her chair, relaxing now that it was only she and Bleze alone. "Do you think… we're being too hard on him?"

"It is… necessary."

She sighed once more. "I never want him to become like this. But the Elders…"

"I understand. We had to."

She gazed soulfully at the windows, at the night-lights below. "But… I wished we didn't."

* * *

Train sat on the helicopter, Belze beside him, holding the leash of the cat. In front, a member in the lower levels of the hierarchy of Chronos navigated. Down beneath, the streetlights flickered and flashed in a light play of green and blue and white.

The sky gradually darkened, fading from the golden, purple dusk to the ebony black evening. The Black Cat closed his eyes. The cold of the night is soothing; the mild fragrance of the perfumed air relaxes him. But the pouch of bullets hanging from his belt and Hades strapped on his thighs both felt like oppressing weights, settling down on him, and pushing, pressing, crashing.

He wasn't sure how long he would – _could_ – last.

"We'll be there soon." Belze's deep voice.

Train's eyelids flattered open gently, revealing those cold, golden gemstones, forever set in a cold, emotionless mask. He directed a small nod at the older Number, drew himself up to his full height, and clenched his black cloak close to his body. His eyes swept across the small city below.

And he waited.

* * *

Saya changed out of her yukata.

There's a job tonight.

Pulling on an outfit that is much, _much _easier to run in, Saya pondered on the situation at hand. Barely days ago, she was contacted by the famous, or infamous thief-for-hire, Rinslet Walker. They were _old_ friends, going _way_ back, so when Rins asked for a favor, Saya said yes without even thinking about it.

Tonight, Saya and Sven are going to cause _chaos_!

Strapping on her gun, Saya grinned. A glance at the mirror – tank top, shorts, and steel-toed boots – told her that, god does she look _good_! Grin still pasted on her face, she bounced out of her room, and ran into Sven, leaning against the wall.

Sven gave Saya a once-over, smiled, and took a puff on his cigarette. "You look excited."

"Damn right I am!" she chirped, and turned to go down the stairs. "Let's go!"

"I met a girl today." Sven's smile was gone, the stamp of his cigarette crashed beneath his feet.

Saya paused.

"She was the one Rins was talking about – the human bio weapon." He smiled ruefully, and Saya turned around, concern in her eyes. "She's just a girl, you know? Just a girl… trapped with a monster… I promised that I would bring her to go eat something good, someday."

Saya closed her eyes, and smiled. "Then let's go keep your promise."

* * *

Creed sighed, dramatically.

And then he pouted.

And he sighed again.

Because dealing with Torneo always left him feeling a little bit oily, and unclean. That fat bastard of a human being shouldn't be allowed to live! And the only reason Creed haven't killed that man yet was because of the nano-machine's research. Sighing again, Creed decided that Torneo Rudman would be one of the first ones to go during his Revolution.

And then Shiki came into his room. "Master Creed? News from the information network."

"Ah… yes?"

"The Chronos is moving in on Torneo Rudman. A Number is on his way."

Creed raised a brow. "Which one?"

"XIII -"

"I'm going there."

* * *

**_ To Be CONTINUED..._**

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End file.
